


How Granger joined the Lightborn Squad

by BeachBunny



Series: Adventures of the Lightborn Squad (Mobile Legends) [1]
Category: Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (Video Game)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Demon Hunters, Demons, Developing Friendships, F/M, Friendship/Love, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Lightborn squad, Orphans, Romantic Friendship, Strong Female Characters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-02
Updated: 2020-06-23
Packaged: 2021-03-02 10:08:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23969605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeachBunny/pseuds/BeachBunny
Summary: "I only fight for myself, no one else."Granger prefers to be a lone wolf, hunting down demons with his guns. These hands have seen the blood of humans and demons. Until he undertakes a mission that changes his life.Pairing: Granger x SilvannaFind me on Instagram at@ml_beachbunny
Relationships: Alucard & Granger (Mobile Legends: Bang Bang), Alucard & Harith (Mobile Legends: Bang Bang), Alucard & Tigreal (Mobile Legends: Bang Bang), Dyrroth & Silvanna (Mobile Legends: Bang Bang), Granger & Silvanna (Mobile Legends: Bang Bang), Granger/Silvanna (Mobile Legends: Bang Bang), Silvanna & Tigreal (Mobile Legends: Bang Bang)
Series: Adventures of the Lightborn Squad (Mobile Legends) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1802488
Comments: 7
Kudos: 88
Collections: Mobile Games Fanfictions





	1. The Death Chanter

**Author's Note:**

> Granger always struck me as someone who preferred to travel solo (he even says “I only fight for myself, no one else”?).  
> So it confused me why he was fighting together with the others in the Lightborn cinematic trailer (even though it’s a really cool trailer and my favourite). So here’s my take on why he is there and what he’s fighting for.

[ ](https://ibb.co/nLsvg3j)

  
He watches from the trees.

The rain pours down from the sky, soaking his clothes, but it doesn’t bother him. He is single-minded in his mission, as he’s finally managed to track down a band of brigands who were coming this way.

These men obviously had the right idea to hide here. The town of Braidwood was so isolated and far out, it was the perfect hideout for anyone who didn’t want to be found.

Well, it’s too bad for them that he’s found them.

He could hear shouting and laughing from inside. They weren’t exactly being quiet. They probably thought that they were safe.

He readies his gun.

The door bangs open. The candles flicker and go out. The men are caught off-guard, standing as they speak in panicked whispers. He moves as silently as the night. Shots ring in the air as the bodies drop at his feet.

Six shots. He counted seven people in the room. He reloads.

He doesn’t flinch as he hears shallow breaths coming from behind the table.

“An eye for an eye.” he smiles as he fires the final shot.

The room is quiet now.

Granger wiped the blood off of his gun, and turned. A few bags litter the floor, gold spilling out from one of them.

Granger was not a thief, but stealing from a thief? An eye for an eye. This gold would help to pay his way through his travels.

His eyes are now drawn towards the largest bag lying in a corner. What did these brigands risk their lives to steal from the Imperial Sanctuary, one of the most heavily guarded places in the Land? Diamonds? Some precious gem to sell on the black market?

He pulled open the bag that was already half-open… then stepped back.

_Oh._

***

He relights the candles, the flames casting their light on his conflicted face. His eyes darted back to the other side of the room, but there was still no movement from the girl.

_A girl._ It was a lady. He had not just killed thieves, but kidnappers.

Of all the treasures in the land, he had not expected to find that. Judging by her clothes, she was obviously of noble birth. Judging by their torn state, she had obviously put up a huge struggle during the kidnapping. She was unconscious, half-drugged by the looks of it, and her hands were tied behind her back.

Now he was faced with a dilemma. His first thought had been to take the gold and disappear before she woke up.

But while Granger was a loner, he was not a hard-hearted man. It didn’t feel right if he just left this girl behind to fend for herself. Sure, he had done her a favour and killed off her kidnappers, but now he felt the obligation to make sure she got to somewhere safe first. But if she woke up and saw the gold he was making off with… she would never let him leave with the gold.

And then, there was the matter of how pretty she was. Well, that wouldn’t be an issue. From what he saw, she had full pink lips, a pert nose and long platinum blonde hair that was almost purple in the light.

Alright... well, maybe that could definitely be a problem. Granger tried not to let that distract him. He would wait now for her to wake up, speak to her, then decide what to do. He lights the final candle.

Grey. Her eyes must be grey, Granger mused absentmindedly.

The lady finally stirs, then blinks awake. He can see the glazed look in her eyes, from whatever drug she had been fed. Her face lifts from the cold hard floor, and she gazes around, her eyes falling on Granger. As she sits up, she notices the dead men on the floor, her lips forming an O.

“What happened?” she asked, noticing her hands were bound in front of her. Granger had been loath to simply untie her before he knew who she was, but he had at least decided to tie her hands up in front of her so she could eat something while she answered his questions. He nudged a flask of water at his feet, and she came towards the fire to take the flask.

“Who are you?” he asked. She drank from the flask before answering, “Who are you?”

“Obviously not someone important enough to be kidnapped.” he smirked.

“You did this?” she gestured to the dead bodies around the room, apparently unperturbed. “Why?”

“I’d heard of some brigands coming this way with some stolen treasure, thought I’d intercept them.” Granger unwrapped a few rolls of bread from his pocket.

“To come save me?”

He shook his head.

“And here I thought I’d be thanking my rescuer.” the lady laughed, as she accepted his offer of a roll. “So you were just planning to steal from them?”

Granger stays quiet, waiting for her to chew and swallow.

“So what are you going to do now?”

“Find out who you are,” he counters. “So who are you?”

The lady narrowed her eyes, obviously trying to assess him. “I… live in the Moniyan Empire. In the Imperial Sanctuary. I am a handmaiden for the princess. They probably kidnapped me because they wanted some information on her.”

Princess Silvanna. Granger knew of her, although he had never seen her before. The boys and girls in the Monastery of Light spoke of the royal family at length.

Everyone knew the story of the prince of the Moniyan Empire, hailed as a beacon of light, then tragically killed at birth by demons who sought for blood. Granger was more focused on other things. Like killing said demons. And trying to not let his nightmares overtake his mind.

He had initially tried to join the missions set by the royal family. They had sought talents from the Monastery, and offered coin to demon hunters in exchange for undertaking missions.

Granger was unrivalled with his gun, yet never chosen. Too much a lone wolf, the Monastery said. Could not follow orders or serve under a leader. He had become jaded from the comments and decided to break away from the Monastery and travel alone. He did better when he was alone.

She was speaking again now, and he pulled his thoughts back to the present.

“I need to get back to the Imperial Sanctuary. How far away are we?”

“Four days ride.” Granger replied, noting the wince on the lady’s face.

“Four days?! I’ve been gone for that long?” she starts twisting around towards the window where the rain still splattered against the windowsill, as though she was about to run outside and run all the way back to Mosennia. She twists back to gaze at Granger, her mind working hard.

“Look… it is important that I get back to the Imperial Sanctuary urgently.” She takes a deep breath. “If you take me back to the castle safely, I will make sure that you’re rewarded well.”

Granger was afraid of that. The Moniyan Empire was too far, and he was planning to go in the other direction. He had planned to forget the past, leave it all behind.

“I’ll drop you off at the nearest farmhouse.” he decided. The lady looked at him in horror, but he wasn't about to explain himself to her.

She tried to reason with him. “Look, I need to get back safely. And you’ve killed all those men, and you haven’t killed me, so at least I feel I can trust you to protect me more than anyone out there.”

“I only fight for myself, no one else.”

“Then just treat this as a mission, when you’re done, you can go wherever you want to go.”

He unwittingly glanced at the bags of gold still on the floor, and she caught that glance. Looking in that direction, she saw the gold peeking out of the bags. “Ah.”

She turned back to him. “Look, if it’s gold you want, that’s not a problem. My father will pay you whatever you want.” she looks back at the gold. “On top of whatever is in there.”

Well… that sounded better.

“How can I trust you? You won’t even give me your name.”

“I’m…. Emma.” she offered.

“Emma,” he repeated, testing the word on his tongue. “I’m Granger.”

***


	2. The Vagrant Poet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our heroes begin their travels, and start to learn more about each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter moves from Silvanna's POV to Granger's POV a couple of times, I hope that doesn't get too confusing.

[](https://ibb.co/RQm0g0P)

When daylight broke, the lady rummaged through the brigands’ belongings, and found a long white shirt, and a pair of dark brown pants. It would have to do for now. The men’s clothing were obviously way too large for her: the shirt hung off her thin frame, and she needed to use some rope as a makeshift belt to keep the pants up. 

At least she didn’t have to wear her torn dress, she thought, looking at the pale blue dress she had to discard. Granger had been polite enough to leave the room whilst she dressed, but he had returned now, obviously eager to get going. 

Princess Silvanna (it’s Emma for now, she reminded herself, she mustn’t blow her cover) also managed to find a spare set of clothes and a travelling cloak that fell all the way to her feet. 

Everything else was useless to her but digging around, she finally uncovered a pair of sharp knives, to her delight. ‘Emma’ hated that she didn’t have her trusty lance with her, but at least now she had some kind of weapon. 

While Granger readied the horses and cart left behind by the brigands (and packed everything they needed to travel as well as the gold), Silvanna hunted for a long stick to sharpen into a makeshift spear. It would have to do, until she got back to her home. 

Also, it would be a small deterrent against her sullen guide in case he suddenly turned on her. She didn’t think he would, but years of training and political backstabbing put her on edge. She glanced at him. 

While he was alright last night, he had been completely silent the whole day, preferring to communicate with grunts and nods rather than actual conversation, if he could. Silvanna had tried to keep up a steady stream of conversation, but it very quickly became completely one-sided on her end. 

All that she knew of him was that he was a marksman, he was very quiet, and he had a guitar case. And he had a scar over his left eye. She wondered where he got it from. 

Conversation halted, her mind wandered towards the last few days. The last thing she had remembered was being present at a court in session, before she felt dizzy. Everything faded to dark. She could barely recall the days after that, just flashes of blur where she was force fed a drink that made her drowsy again. 

She had been kidnapped right in front of a full court, for Lord’s sake. Something foul was at play here. She ran through her mind a list of people who could have potentially been involved. Unfortunately, she came up with nothing.

Other than her father King Aurelius II and her mother, there was only one person she felt she could trust. Tigreal. The Imperial Capital’s Moniyan Captain of Knights. After years of being an Imperial Knightess and working closely with this man, she knew this was the one person she could put her trust in. Once she gets back to the Moniyan Empire, she must get in touch with him.

***

Her hair _was_ purple. Granger had thought that it was the trick of the light, but in the sun, he could see that Emma’s long hair was indeed a shade of purple-blonde. He'd tried not to stare, but it was kind of hard not to when her hair was freaking purple. 

No no, no. He wouldn’t spare any more thoughts of this girl. Once he had deposited her in Mossenia and collected his reward, he would be on his way and that would be it.

Granger tried to think about anything else. Demons, the Monastery, his guns, the trees.

I was right, her eyes _are_ grey, Granger mused absentmindedly to himself.

_Fuck._

***

Night had fallen before they finally stopped to rest. Silvanna stretched her legs and attended to the horses while Granger set about in making a fire. The fish they had caught from a nearby river lay glistening on the ground. 

They had gone almost the whole day without talking (well Silvanna talked and Granger listened) and it was about to drive Silvanna mad. She wondered why he chose this vagrant life. 

“Do you play?” She gestured to the guitar case, desperate now for conversation. To her surprise, Granger’s face lit up. This was the happiest she had ever seen him so far. 

“A little.” He shrugged. Silvanna wasn’t about to let him get away with it. 

“Well, I’d love to hear!” 

“Really?” He gazed at her. She nodded. “Alright,” he conceded, his finger already unsnapping the case open. 

To her surprise, he took out a violin. She was expecting a guitar from the _guitar case_. But hey, who was complaining? 

She sat back, as he plucked the strings lightly and twiddled the knobs. Then he played a mournful melody, one she recognised as a sonata about an ill-fated opera singer who fell in love with the daughter of an Earl. They could never be together in Life, but they found each other in Death.

Silvanna listened, open-mouthed. He was _dreadful_. 

“You’re terrible,” the words escaped from her mouth before she could stop it. 

“I know,” he said. 

“Where did you learn?” she asks. 

“Books,” he shrugs. 

“Why do you keep a violin in a guitar case?” 

Granger sullenly snaps the case shut. “It was a gift. From someone special.” 

He was back to his closed off self again, so she found herself rambling. “I’ve loved music since I was a child. I’d sit for hours listening to my mother playing the piano. She tried to teach me but I guess I wasn’t too good at it. I much preferred to listen to her.” 

Granger nodded in agreement. “Music calms me down."

He thinks for a moment before adding, “Plus, when demons are suffering from my music, they’ll get so wrapped up in it that they don’t even notice my bullets until it’s too late.”

Silvanna stares open-mouthed, before she starts laughing uncontrollably. Demons getting distracted and losing focus because of lousy music before they get killed? Now that was an idea so hilarious, it might just work. Maybe she should actually run it past Tigreal? 

Lord of light, it feels good to laugh like this again, without worrying about what other people might think of her. 

***

Perhaps it wasn’t such a bad idea to take on this mission after all, Granger thinks to himself. 

He thinks the same thing a few minutes later when Emma laughs when a supposedly dead fish jumped from her grasp when she was trying to cook it, and she doesn’t miss the slight upturn of his lips. 

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The sonata about the opera singer and the daughter of an Earl is Cecilion and Carmilla's trailer. If you watch their trailer, there's violins in the background so it made perfect sense to put Granger in there LOLOL.


	3. Knightess' Resolve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The duo figure out an amicable friendship on the second day of their travels.
> 
> Then Granger finds out who 'Emma' really is, and he is NOT happy.

[](https://ibb.co/xsLCBHH)

It’s next morning when Silvanna decides that she really desperately needs a bath. 

It’s been Lord-knows-how-long since she last had the chance. Being dragged around half-conscious didn’t exactly afford her any opportunity to take a bath. 

While she was as desperate to get back to the Imperial Sanctuary as Granger was to finish his mission, she was just as desperate to feel clean again.

But of course, when she voices it out to Granger, he flatly tells her that they don’t have the time.

“Look at my hair,” Silvanna complains. Granger looks away. “I’ll be quick. I’ll just take a dip in the river, then we’ll be on our way.”

“Fine,” he groans. “We have to stock up some supplies anyway. I’ll go down to that village nearby.” 

Grabbing her makeshift lance, Silvanna makes her way down to the river. The water glistens off rocks, almost as though to invite her in.

She checks the perimeter to make sure she’s alone. Then, quickly, she divests her body of her pants and shoes. She keeps the oversized shirt on for modesty, thinking that she could swap it out with another shirt when she comes out. Sinking into the water, she can already feel the tension on her shoulders melting a little.

Fortunately, Silvanna is used to roughing it up and sleeping on the hard ground, despite her royal status. Since she was eighteen, she had joined the Knights Order to become an Imperial Knightess. There, they had truly tested her mettle with tough training and missions. To everyone’s surprise (and her satisfaction), she handled everything they threw at her without complaint. A spoilt princess, they did not see. 

After all, she was determined to prove herself. Ever since she was a child, she had been dutifully by her mother’s side, thinking that she could serve her empire that way. Years passed before she realized she wanted to serve her empire by protecting it. She wanted to be strong, like one of the Imperial Knights she admired. She wanted to protect her people, in the way she could not protect her… her own brother… 

Silvanna shook herself out of these thoughts before her brain relieved these treacherous guilty memories again. 

She’s glad that this weird push-pull relationship with Granger is starting to ease off. Last night, she had awoken to realize that her fellow companion was obviously in the midst of a nightmare. Granger had been shifting and murmuring out loud, a look of pain on his face.

Torn between trying to wake him up and ignoring the still-awkward stranger, her compassion won out in the end, and she prodded his shoulder till he jerked awake. They had stared at each other for three seconds, before Granger looked away. He never mentioned anything after that. 

But clean up this morning was a lot more relaxed between the two, as they traded quiet jokes and basked in a lighter atmosphere.

Silvanna shakes the water out of her hair and climbs out of the river disappointedly. Hopefully they’d make camp near another river or lake later tonight so she could look forward to a bath again tomorrow. 

Now dressed, she got back to the camp, as she saw Granger’s figure disappearing towards the nearby village. 

***

 _Wizard boots_ , Granger thinks to himself, _why can’t I find wizard boots anymore?_

The coins jingle jauntily in his pocket as he considers his options. _Never mind_ , he thought, _I’ll just get Magic shoes then._

Satisfied, he turns around, which is when he catches a glimpse of a large poster on the wall opposite.

His eyes widen as he suddenly notices a familiar face staring up at him from the yellowed paper.

Granger studies the poster, before he rips it off the wall. Emma had a lot to explain.

***

“Isn’t it funny?” Silvanna heard Granger walk up from behind her, “How you look exactly like the Princess Silvanna?” 

Silvanna whipped around, and her eyes went straight to the yellow poster Granger had in his hand. Her face stared back at her, a photo of one of her royal portraits. 

MISSING PRINCESS, the headline screams at her. HAVE YOU SEEN HER?

Oh Lord, Silvanna thinks, as she glances back up to Granger’s mad face. 

***

“I was protecting a princess all this time, and I didn’t know it.” he snapped. “I had the right to know, and I would have kept a closer eye on you!” 

“How would that have changed anything?” she tries to protest. 

“Protecting a girl and protecting a member of royalty are two different things!” Granger runs a hand through his hair, messing it up. 

“I’m not just a princess, I’m an Imperial Knightess too,” Silvanna raises her chin defiantly, trying not to look at the scar on Granger’s left eye. “I’m trained to fight and protect myself too.” 

“Oh forgive me, _Your Highness_ ,” he snaps, and she flinches at how sarcastically he mentions her title, “but I didn’t forget you were kidnapped which means people were out for your blood!” 

Silvanna looks down as she breathes out heavily, massaging her temple. 

“Look, you’re right. I should have been honest with you. You should have been clear on the dangers involved.” 

“But the mission has not changed,” she tried to reason. “It’s still important for me to get back to the Imperial Sanctuary, and when I do get back, you will be rewarded for your efforts.”

Granger pinches the bridge of his nose as he contemplates. The situation has changed too much for his liking. 

“Let’s make this quick.” 

***

“I’m sorry I fooled you,” Silvanna says eventually as they sat side-by-side on the carriage. They’ve travelled the whole day but exchanged no words with each other. 

It was like whatever camaraderie they had going on was lost, and Granger had withdrawn even more into himself. 

Now it’s nearly dusk and almost time to make camp. She tries to explain, so hopefully they can make up and it would be much less awkward. 

“Were you ever going to tell me?” he asks. 

“Of course.” Silvanna says. “Once I wasn’t travelling alone with just you, a stranger whom I’ve known for all of two days, by the way.” 

“I am a stranger,” he concedes. “So why me? You can just find an Imperial Knight in the next town and you can get back.” 

“I wish it was that easy,” Silvanna sighs. She gazes up for a moment. 

“I don’t know who was behind my kidnapping. There’ll only be very few people I can trust when I get back to the Imperial Sanctuary. That’s who I’m aiming to get to so we can get to the bottom of this mess.” 

She glanced at him. “And I thought I would be much safer if I was just a noble girl in your eyes than if you knew I was the princess. I didn’t want you planning something else against me either.” 

Granger acknowledges her words with a nod, and doesn’t speak again.

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mobile Legends, give us back wizard boots already!!


	4. Home Defense

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The heroes discover that demons from the Shadow Abyss have breached the Barrier of Justice and attacked the Moniyan Empire.
> 
> Princess Silvanna receives upsetting news. Granger comforts her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, some action! And the Lightborn Squad comes together for the first time!

[](https://ibb.co/6W9YsxV)

The closer they get to the Moniyan Empire, the worse the sky looks.

Granger swallows heavily. The skies that are usually blue, were swallowed by purple and black. Silvanna looked up, clearly with the same thoughts, but neither one voiced them out. This could only be one thing.

The Shadow Abyss.

For years, the Land of Dawn had been at odds with the Shadow Abyss. Light versus Dark, neither one gaining an inch over each other. 

But the demons of the Shadow Abyss were usually kept at bay. Strong demon hunters, mages and marksmen alike offered their services to drive away the evils that emerged from the Shadow Abyss. 

But today, the sky looked as though the Shadow Abyss was threatening to burst forth, evil crawling out in every direction. 

It was unnerving.

Granger was suddenly glad he had made the decision to accompany Princess Silvanna back. He still loved the Moniyan Empire. It was his home, after all. 

Granger led Silvanna through the village. Now that he knew she was the Princess, he refused to let her out of his sight. So they were replenishing their supplies together, Silvanna dressed in her floor-length brown cloak to avoid suspicion. 

Rather than the usual hustle and bustle, the villagers were talking to each other quietly, going about their business quickly. Trying to lay low, Granger and Silvanna walked quietly, not stopping to chat with anyone, until they heard someone say:

“Long live the Queen.” 

Silvanna shudders to a stop. Granger is immediately at her side, both alert. What? What had happened?

“Did you not hear the news?” a villager asks. “The Barrier of Justice was breached! Demons infiltrated the Imperial Sanctuary. King Aurellius II was badly injured. Her Majesty is… dead.”

Under the cloak, Silvanna paled. She chokes on a gasp. Her mother… dead?

So that’s why everyone is speaking in hushed tones with worried looks on their faces. It wasn’t just the sky. The Moniyan Empire was leaderless. 

Granger nudged her to keep walking. But her feet wouldn’t move. He had to guide her around the waist gently till they got back to their carriage. 

That was when she broke down.

Granger stood awkwardly as the Princess sat in the carriage and cried. He did not deal with feelings well. And with such bad news, he had no idea what to do.

But he couldn’t just do nothing, could he?

Gently, he sat down next to Silvanna. And when she reached out for him, he didn’t stop her as her arms circled around him.

“I lost my brother when I was eight…” she buries her face in her hands. 

His own arms now wrap around her, as she cried for her family, now torn apart.

“I know,” he whispers. “I lost my parents when I was a child.” He regrets the words as soon as they’re out of his mouth. Why did he say that? He usually doesn’t tell people this bit of his life. And what was the point of him telling her? But Silvanna tightens her hold on him.

They sit like that for a while, until Silvanna breaks them apart. She wipes at her face, but when she speaks, her voice is strong and commanding again.

“We need to get to the Imperial Sanctuary immediately.”

Granger nods, and they’re about to set off, when he sees a movement from the corner of his eye. Huh?

He studies the far-off bush curiously. Then they both hear it. A demon.

Silvanna grabs her makeshift lance and leaps as Granger grabs his gun, both alert. They move at the same time. 

Bang!

Granger’s perfect shot causes the demon to slump over, dead. The air is unnaturally still.

HOWL!

Suddenly, more demons appeared from all sides.

It was a trap! 

Quickly, Granger uses his quick dash technique that he’s perfected. Now beside the Princess, they stand back-to-back facing the demons. 

Then, they attack.

Granger aims with deadly accuracy as Silvanna jumps and spears the nearer demons. These are lower level demons and they make quick work of them. 

But when Granger turns around, he realizes that the demons meant to drive the two apart. He can’t even see Silvanna now, the forest a perfect hiding place for many undesirable creatures. 

More demons burst out from behind him, and he fires off his shots. Almost as though in slo-mo, he sees one leaping in the air towards him. 

Granger’s eyes widen as he reloads. He knows he won’t be able to shoot in time. He braces for the inevitable pain.

Suddenly the creature draws back in a howl. After another flash of blue light, it slumps over, dead. Granger stumbles back, dazed. He looks towards the source of the blue light.

A little person is high in the tree. Granger’s eyes flicker to his silver hair, then to his ears and his tail…. he’s a Leonin, Granger realizes.

“Don’t move!” the Leonin says. He jumps down to the ground, hands still stretched out, his right hand glowing blue.

“Who are you?” he says threateningly. He is fierce for a little thing. 

“Just a demon hunter.” Granger says, lowering his gun to his side to show that he meant the Leonin no harm. Before he can reply, there was a dash in the bushes, and the marksman and Leonin raise their weapons towards the bushes. 

Two men emerge, a large man in heavy armour and a blonde man in a blue coat.

The blonde glances at him, and his eyes lit up in recognition. “Granger?”

“Alucard?”

“You know each other?” the Leonin looks from one man to the other, his tail swishing curiously.

“We’re friends,” Alucard looks at Granger curiously, “What are you doing here?” 

Granger opens his mouth but someone else replies.

“We were on the way to the Imperial Sanctuary.” came a silvery voice from behind Granger. She threw the head of her cloak back.

“Princess?!” the two men and the Leonin cry. 

_Huh_ , Granger wonders, _how come they knew who she is and I didn’t?_

***

Silvanna tells them the condensed version of the last few days.

Granger is glad to see that Silvanna seems relaxed amongst these men. She seems to trust them, especially the large man. 

Granger’s also grateful to see Alucard. They had known each other while growing up in the Monastery, and they had even trained together at times. They were not exactly friends, but they were friendly, he supposed. Alucard had always told Granger he respected his skills, albeit begrudgingly sometimes. 

At least he wouldn’t be looking at Granger with suspicion, like the large man is. 

“I can vouch for him. His name is Granger, he used to live in the Monastery of Light. We can trust him.” Alucard speaks up. Granger knew that with his clothes and his sullen demeanour, he cut a very intimidating figure.

“Alright,” Tigreal relents. He turns to Silvanna to deliver his report.

“Demons breached the Barrier of Justice yesterday. We’ve been fighting them off since then. I’ve positioned Imperial Knights to patrol the nearby villages.” 

“There’s more.” Tigreal hesitates, as though he doesn’t want to say what he’s about to say. “We’ve received a tip-off of an incoming Abyssal attack. They’re led by someone who calls himself Dyrroth. Prince Dyrroth.”

He takes a deep breath. “He looks exactly like a young version of King Aurelius II.” 

There was silence after that.

No one dared to say anything, but everyone was thinking it. What was this? Some twisted demonic plan? Or perhaps an undead puppet bewitched to look like the King?

“No,” Princess Silvanna breathed out. “This is a demonic trick.”

“Princess,” Tigreal starts, but Silvanna does not want to hear anymore. 

“I need to return to the Imperial Sanctuary as quickly as possible. I must seek guidance.” 

Tigreal nods. “My sister Fanny can take you. She is fast and light on her feet, and she can forge the quickest path while providing you with enough protection. In the meantime, we will hold the demons off.”

Silvanna glanced at Granger in hesitation, and he knew why. She had promised him a reward, plus this was not exactly his battle to fight. 

But the situation has changed.

“Go.” he told her. “Get back to the Imperial Sanctuary. I’ll help them hold the demons off here. I’ll meet you there when we’ve cleared this area.” 

Princess Silvanna nods. “Thank you,” she says. Granger’s hands itch of their own volition to do something. But he has no right. So instead he nods back.

Silvanna walks away with Tigreal, and as they leave, Granger hears her ask Tigreal quietly about the King and Queen.

“Good to see you. It’s been some time.” comes Alucard’s voice. “We could definitely use your skills here. Between you and me, the demons won't know what hit them.” 

Granger turned to Alucard.

“Their death will be music to my ears.”

***


	5. Demon's Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He remembers Alucard now.
> 
> He remembers how much Alucard loves to talk.

[ ](https://ibb.co/qNhVKxb)  
[](https://imgbb.com/)  


  
He remembers Alucard now.

He remembers _how much Alucard loves to talk_.

It’s almost like he doesn’t know how to stop talking. Granger hasn’t seen Alucard in the last few months, but that doesn’t give Alucard the right to spew out his entire life story or something.

Granger’s already heard about how Alucard had come across Harith (the Leonin) living in the Dark Forest and rescued him from demons. And about Tigreal, the large man, who is the Moniyan Captain of Knights. And about Fanny, Tigreal’s sister, an adept assassin who is currently accompanying Princess Silvanna back to the Imperial Sanctuary. And also about how Fanny _flies_ with the help of hooks.

Flies? What does that even mean?

It’s all a bit confusing for Granger, but, oh well. All he really cares about is that there are demons to hunt.

And whether Princess Silvanna has made it back safely.

***

Silvanna breathes a sigh of relief when she sees the tall tower of the Imperial Sanctuary come into view. They’ve made it.

Fanny had gone ahead to clear the path, but she doubles back now to make sure she stays with the Princess. The duo run side-by-side.

***

The Imperial Sanctuary is in chaos when they reach. Knights are assembled, horses are readied, young pages run around delivering messages, maidens rush here and there.

They all hail Princess Silvanna as soon as they see her. Fanny had gone ahead to inform them that the kidnapped Princess has been found, and they are all clearly relieved to see the royal family member return.

A few handmaidens run to Silvanna, but she waves them away, simply asking for a change of clothes. She turns to the blade dancer.

“You must go back and help Tigreal. The demons must not breach our defences.”

“Affirmative.” the younger woman replies as she salutes. Before she leaves though, Silvanna grasps Fanny’s left shoulder. Fanny's right hand grasps Silvanna’s left shoulder as well, and they stay like that for a second.

“Good luck,” Silvanna says, looking into the pair of green eyes. “The Lord of light stands with us.”

Fanny nods, and they break apart.

Silvanna turns to see some of the men gathered.

“I want a report of what has happened.” She commanded.

***

They thought they could make quick work of these demons. They were wrong.

Granger catches his breath as he reloads. They had vastly underestimated the number of demons here. More and more seemed to be coming, even after they had demolished so many.

Alucard is next to him, his usually coiffed hair messed up, strings of blonde falling on his face. Little Harith was fighting alongside them, until Tigreal instructed the Leonin to go look out from the trees and scout the area.

Alucard slashes the demons, drawing them back. Granger activates his cannon, and is satisfied to hear the howls when the bullets hit their intended targets.

WHOOSH.

Granger has to throw himself to the ground to avoid a grappling hook and a steel line that appeared out of nowhere. Suddenly, a female figure emerges, her twin blades clanging as she passes by.

The bladed warrior whirls her blade, then seems to disappear almost as quickly as she appeared.

“That,” Granger hears Alucard’s voice on his left, “was Fanny.”

Granger sits up, dazed. Fanny emerges from a bush, and joins the fight.

***

HOWL!

The final demon slumps over, dead. Tigreal wipes his brow and turns around to face the others. As he catches his breath, Harith jumps down from a tree.

“Status?” Tigreal asks.

“It’s bad,” the Leonin’s face is worried. “There’s a whole Abyssal Army coming our way!”

“We have to retreat,” Tigreal says in despair.

“We can still hold them back!” Alucard demands. His determination radiates despite his exhaustion.

“No.” Tigreal turns to the demon hunter. “We must head back to the Capital. They must not breach the Imperial Sanctuary. That is our priority right now.”

Alucard is loath to agree, but he nods at the captain.

***

Princess Silvanna strides quickly. Her dress swishes at her feet. Odd that her handmaidens had brought her a dress instead of her battle armour, but no matter.

Despair shone from everyone she passed, but Silvanna had no time for despair. She was determined to lead the empire to victory.

During her lessons from the Imperial records, she had learnt of the legend of the Seed of Light. Very little was actually understood about it. All that was known was that it contains immense power.

And it requires great sacrifice.

She was willing to be that sacrifice.

Her footsteps echoed around the Sanctuary.

“With war raging on, our country is on the brink of destruction.”

Her voice doesn’t shake.

“Please, give me wisdom in our hour of need.”

***


	6. For The Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Although deep in the throes of battle, Granger could still take a moment to marvel how well they worked together as a team. 
> 
> Somehow, each one could anticipate the other’s moves almost perfectly, as Harith brought down the demon on Granger’s right, and Alucard protected his left, while he himself shot the two demons further away.
> 
> Tigreal brought down his shield on the burning black creature that had thrown its scythe at Fanny. 
> 
> “Stay together, for there is hope!” was his call to the Imperial Knights.

[](https://ibb.co/1sLxJ7q)

[Cover art credit: @turashii_](https://instagram.com/turashii_)

It was pure chaos at the Imperial Sanctuary.

Granger sees an old lady running up towards Tigreal.

“Meldis?” Tigreal’s deep voice boomed across the courtyard. “Where is Princess Silvanna?”

“Captain!” the old lady gasps. “She broke into the Forbidden area of the Imperial Sanctuary!”

Tigreal curses. He whirls back to his team who had returned from the forest.

“I must give orders to the other knights. But the five of us must protect the Imperial Sanctuary. Prepare for battle. ”

“What’s in the forbidden area?” Granger whispers to Alucard.

“Nobody knows,” Alucard replies. “Legend has it that it contains the Seed of Light, a very powerful form of magic. But no one has been inside for decades. No one is allowed to go in.”

***

Legend also said that a powerful creature guarded the Seed of Light. Few who faced this creature emerged alive.

A loud booming voice echoed around the Forbidden Area, although Silvanna could see no one else there.

“What are you willing to sacrifice?”

Her answer was clear. “Everything.”

“Will you be willing to sacrifice… your life?’

“Yes.”

***

“Courage, my friend.” Alucard whispers to little Harith. “Courage for the ones we love.”

Just then, the gates of the Imperial Sanctuary burst open, demons pouring on from all sides. Imperial archers rain burning arrows on the demons, but for every 1 they demolished, 3 more would stream in through the doors.

Granger sees a young demon on a throne, carried by four demons. From afar, he could hear the demon prince shout, “Kill them all! Take no prisoners!”

From the corner of his eye, Granger spotted a lone demon leaping in the air towards Harith. Almost as though in a reverse action from the forest, this time Granger was the one who raised his gun to shoot the demon and save the Leonin.

“Watch out!” he says. “I can handle this!”

As Harith scampers backwards, a flash of blue whizzes past Granger’s left to strike. Alucard’s impressive swordsmanship was put to the test as he slashed the demons left and right.

However, even Alucard needed to pause, and another demon took advantage of that, attempting to pounce on the demon hunter.

Slash!

Fanny appeared almost out of nowhere, splitting the demon in half.

“Watch your back!”

Fanny whirled her blades again, making quick work of the demons with her strikes. However, an orange scythe suddenly appeared out of nowhere, hitting Fanny square in the face.

“Fanny!” came Tigreal’s voice. He dropped his shield, catching the blade dancer. “Are you alright?” he asked.

Fanny shook her head, trying to clear it. “Yes, I’m fine.” she replied.

“Hold the line.” Tigreal said, setting his sister down. “Don’t let them pass our defences.” Fanny nodded, stretching her cable to fly.

***

Princess Silvanna paused, her heart beating. Outside, she could hear the cries of battle. But inside, she was faced with her own battle. A giant figure approached her, but it was shimmering, as though it was a ghost instead of a corporeal figure. It surveyed Silvanna, and raised its hand as though to strike. She did not move though, her hands clasped together in front of her, as though in prayer.

“Dominus, illuminatio mea. (Lord is my light.),” she breathed.

Strike, it did not. Instead the voice boomed.

“You…. have been deemed worthy.”

Light shone from Princess Silvanna’s palms. She watched as five tiny orbs formed, each one a different colour, each one radiating a power unrivalled to anything she had ever witnessed.

“Et lux in tenebris lucet. (And light shines in the darkness.)” she watched the giant figure disappear, as the orbs floated upwards towards the tower in front of her.

A strong stream of Light burst from the sky straight to the tower, bursting through the dark purple clouds that had plagued the Moniyan Empire. Silvanna felt it… Hope.

“Bless us with unrivalled courage!”

The orbs floated out of the Imperial Sanctuary and Silvanna raced to follow them.

***  
“Not a single soul can stop me!” a maniacal laughing echoed around the courtyard.

“We shall fight till the end!” Fanny shouted back as they battled.

Although deep in the throes of battle, Granger could still take a moment to marvel how well they worked together as a team.

Somehow, each one could anticipate the other’s moves almost perfectly, as Harith brought down the demon on Granger’s right, and Alucard protected his left, while he himself shot the two demons further away.

Tigreal brought down his shield on the burning black creature that had thrown its scythe at Fanny.

“Stay together, for there is hope!” was his call to the Imperial Knights.

Suddenly, Granger heard a feminine gasp from behind him. Concerned, he glanced back, but what he saw filled him with awe.

The redhead, Fanny, was bathed in a yellow glow.

As he watched, her purple armour transformed into white and gold, and gold glittering wings sprouted from her back.

He turned his focus back to the demons, and that was when he saw it. Three glowing orbs streaked through the sky, each one hitting himself, Alucard, and Harith.

He didn’t feel any pain, in fact he felt incredible strength surge through him, like electricity surging right to his fingertips. His jacket and trousers transformed into white and gold, just like how he saw Fanny’s.

In front of them, he saw Tigreal accept a green glowing orb, the power surrounding him and vibrating through his body, his shield and his sword. The force so strong that it lifted him up. He lifted his sword up high in the air, pulling in the demons surrounding him.

CLANG. A force landed in front of Tigreal, a lance hitting the ground, the demons knocked out from the force. Granger saw a flash of silver blonde hair, and a silver jacket that billowed out into a cape at her feet.

She executed a perfect backflip and Granger caught sight of her face.

It was Princess Silvanna.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story has become longer than I thought! There'll probably be 2 or 3 more chapters left? Don't worry, after this there'll still be some more Lightborn / Gravanna stories.


	7. Lightborn's Blessing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Princess Silvanna and the Chevaliers battle to protect the Moniyan Empire from Prince Dyrroth and the demons of the Shadow Abyss.

Princess Silvanna refused to believe that the Prince Dyrroth could possibly be anything but a demonic manifestation of evil.

And yet, the moment she laid eyes on him across the battlefield, she knew.

This was no undead puppet. This was her beloved younger brother, Prince Aurrelius. Her brother… alive but in a demon body.

And showing almost no signs of recognition towards her. Instead, the demons regrouped, circling her knights.

Next to her, the five knights who had transformed before her eyes were also regrouping. The Seed of Light had chosen those deemed worthy to protect the Moniyan Empire. The Chevaliers.

“For Moniyan!” she cried, raising her lance. “Attack!”

Almost as one unit, they fell into battle stance, slashing down the many demons that sought to destroy the Moniyan Empire.

“Pitiful,” Dyrroth sneered. “Prepare to die!” he yelled as he charged forward to strike. Silvanna was thrown backwards as Tigreal shoved forwards with his shield to absorb the impact, protecting the Princess. She paused.

There was a strange magic that hung in the air. She could sense it. It came from the red crystal on Dyrroth’s chest.

She gazed at this crystal, wondering. That red crystal used to hang on a chain necklace and was a royal heirloom, passed down from generation to generation of every male family member. The crystal had been bestowed to Young Prince Aurellius on his first birthday.

But her senses were telling her now that there was something strange, something unusual about this crystal now. She summoned her magic that flowed through her veins and concentrated.

Yes… she could sense that the red crystal contained some kind of dark magic. It sensed… hate. Fear. Anger. Residing inside her brother.

Was this what the Shadow Abyss was using to control him?

She knew what she had to do.

She moved forward, so that only she and Dyrroth were now circling each other.

No hesitation.

She lunged at him, piercing the red crystal that hung over his heart. It shattered into a million pieces.

A chasm opened from the ground the moment the crystal shattered. Dyrroth stumbled backwards, thrown from the impact, and fell, one hand grabbing a ledge, his legs dangling down towards the chasm.

Silvanna gasped as she reached for her brother’s hand, even if it meant abandoning her lance. She managed to grab his hand, ignoring the sharp pain shooting up her left side.

His face, the mutilated purple face with red glowing slits for eyes was gone. Instead, the face she saw was young, and honest, open and scared.

“S...sister?” he whispered.

Despite the pain, her heart soared. Her brother has returned.

**_No._ **

She watched in horror as the red crystal she had broken with her lance floated in the air, and reformed before their very eyes. Now it was repaired and settled back perfectly on Dyrroth’s chest again, as though it had never been broken.

No.

But slowly, Silvanna could see her brother’s face twist back into the horrific demon that had burst through the doors of the Imperial Sanctuary. His left hand swung at her, red claws coming up to scratch her face, and she was forced to let go.

Forced to watch as Dyrroth leapt into the Shadow Abyss, no hesitation on his part.

Silvanna felt numb. Although she was still on the battlefield, she could not summon her will to keep fighting.

There was no need now, as demons began retreating back into the chasm, the same way where Dyrroth had disappeared to. The battle was won.

Silvanna stood up, as the others crowded her, asking if she was okay. She was dirty, bloodstained…

And defeated.

“Today we drove away the darkness.” Tigreal said gently. “We live to fight another day.”

“Sound the horn of victory!” he calls out. The bellow echoes across the Imperial Sanctuary, followed by cheers, and Princess Silvanna knows that it is meant to inspire everyone, as they had successfully driven the danger away from the Moniyan Empire.

But the victory seems hollow for her.

She had to protect her beloved Moniyan Empire… from her own brother.

How could this be a victory?

But little Harith was the one who made her smile.

“We totally kicked demon butt!”

***

“Father.”

Princess Silvanna couldn’t help the tears from rolling down her cheeks as she sat by her father’s bedside. The old man breathed, but did not reply.

King Aurellius II was very badly injured in an unprecedented attack by the demons. Thanks to Rafaela and her quick-thinking skills, she was able to keep the King in a coma… but only just. He was barely clinging to life.

Silvanna took her father’s hands in her own. They were cold and clammy.

“Father, I promise you,” she whispered, “I will bring my brother home.”

***

“It’s too much of a coincidence. It looks like a planned attack.”

Silvanna nervously paces back and forth as she listens to Tigeal. She can’t help but agree with his assessment. The Moniyan Empire, attacked right after the heir to the throne was kidnapped? And the casualties included the Moniyan Empire Queen, as well as the King who’s now battling for his life?

And now the burden falls onto her. The Princess-turned-Imperial-Knightess must now take up the reins and guide their beloved Moniyan Empire out of the darkness.

Silvanna was terrified.

The large doors on the other end of the hall opened, and Silvanna straightened up. She must be strong. She watched as four people came in, all decked in gold and white armour similar to Tigreal’s.

_Like light_ , was the thought drifting through Silvanna’s mind.

“Chevaliers,” Silvanna addressed them, including Tigreal. They stood at attention, the marksman’s eyes briefly flicking to the Princess’s before staring straight ahead.

“I have called you here today, to acknowledge your efforts. Thanks to your efforts, you have protected our Moniyan Empire, and the Crown.”

“However,” SIlvanna walked to face them. “The war is not over yet. It is no coincidence that the Imperial Sanctuary was breached just days after I was kidnapped, and the King and Queen were attacked.”

An attack on the Crown would have (actually, it had already) weakened the Moniyan Empire, and that made it the perfect time for the Shadow Abyss to strike.

The demons had not known that the princess had returned safely, and they had not expected for her to unleash the power of the Moniyan Empire.

“I don’t know who was behind this. And even though I have returned, it doesn’t mean that we’re out of the woods yet. Someone was the mastermind behind this, and we haven’t caught them yet.” she gazed into the eyes of the five, “so right now, the only people I can trust are the people in this room.”

“And we will find out who was behind this.” Tigreal offered. “Your Highness, we have spoken about this before. Perhaps… what we need is stealth?”

Silvanna thought for a moment, before nodding. “If you believe that we can trust this person.”

“I do.” Tigreal bowed his head.

“Princess,” Granger shifted uneasily. All eyes turned to him. Great. “I do not think I should be here.”

“Why not?”

“Because… I do not belong here.”

Silvanna’s voice softened. “This victory also belongs to you. It is yours to keep.”

“I am not worthy of it.”

“Do you think this was my doing?” Silvanna asked Granger, her voice strong now. “I sought for guidance, but the Seed of Light chose the people whose hearts were worthy!” she now looked at Fanny, at Tigreal, at Alucard, at Harith. “Every single one of you was chosen, because the Lord of Light looked into your hearts and found you worthy.”

At that, Granger felt himself straighten up. He was not the only one who reacted to those words - Fanny uncrossed her arms, and little Harith let out a squeak of pride, Alucard’s left hand immediately going to the Leonin’s head to ruffle his hair.

“Chevaliers, the victory today shall forever be yours.”

***

Granger sat on the grass, relaxing in the sunshine. He looked up at the tall towers framed by the white clouds in the sky, the breeze ruffling his hair. Servants bustled around, the old one named Meldis at the helm, barking orders and making sure everyone was fed and had a place to sleep. The sun shone through the clouds, as though the demonic presence had never been there.

He had never thought he would have the chance to be around such beauty. He ran his fingers along his guitar case. It was a beautiful white, just like his jacket now.

Alucard sat next to him.

“So what are you going to do now?”

Granger stayed silent. He hadn’t figured it out yet.

Princess Silvanna had proclaimed them to be Chevaliers. Members of the Lightborn Squad, she had called it.

Granger usually fought for himself. No one else.

Maybe…. not anymore.

“Look… you should stay. At least for a while. There’ll be some demons to hunt, so that’ll be fun eh?”

Alucard was right. His eyes drew towards Princess Silvanna. She had stepped out from the castle doors, Harith just behind her. She was now in her long gown again, her blonde-purple hair flowing behind her. Perhaps… he could stay. Till he figured out his next move.

Getting to kick some demon ass didn’t hurt either.

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One last chapter after this!


	8. Empire Reborn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Silvanna muses on how much her life has changed.

[ ](https://ibb.co/Dg48hdf)  
[Cover art credit: @nalsyluff](https://instagram.com/nalsyluff/)  


In the days that passed, Silvanna realized how different her life had changed. 

She spent many hours at her father’s bedside. While Rafaela was doing her best, there had been no change to the health of King Aurellius II. 

They had attempted to send word to King Estes from the Emerald Woodland to seek his help, but the enemies were too great and the elves needed to protect their own homeland first before they could come to the help of the Moniyan Empire. 

They also still did not know if there were still enemies or spies in the Imperial Sanctuary, or who had sold her out. 

Because of that, extra patrols and security were set up, particularly near Princess Silvanna, the remaining member of the royal family.

Alucard was often her constant companion, never leaving her side. He had served the Moniyan Empire for a long time, and if Tigreal had full faith in him, then she would too. 

But Alucard was also needed elsewhere. Trainings, scouting missions, he could not always be with her. But whenever he was not around, the demon hunter seemed to have asked young Harith to be at Silvanna’s side. 

While the Leonin was usually a happy go-lucky sprite, she noticed moments where his eyes would darken, and he would withdraw into himself, perhaps thinking about the dark moments in the Dark Forest where his grandfather and family were killed. 

So when Harith showed interest in her tomes and asked her a barrage of questions, she decided to surprise him by showing him the Great Library. 

It certainly worked, when she watched his eyes open wide in excitement when he saw the rows and rows of tomes that held great knowledge. He spent days after that holed up in the library working on defensive spells for the empire to replace the Barrier of Justice. 

Harith spent many more days after that reading at leisure in many hidden corners of the Library. The Leonins were oral historians, Harith told Silvanna once. They preferred to pass down their history to the next generation through speaking stories and songs instead of writing them down. For Harith to have found some kind of record about the Leonins in the Great Library was like allowing him to have a piece of himself back, knowing that his family would live on in these books.

It gave her satisfaction to be able to do something for this determined Leonin who was a true friend to the Empire. 

As the days passed, Silvanna also noticed that when neither Alucard nor Harith were around, someone else would become her companion. She would look up and see the quiet marksman lingering nearby, or following her as she studied maps or sought guidance. 

The quiet marksman who had rescued her in the town of Braidwood was slowly integrating with the Imperial Sanctuary and becoming accepted and liked by the other members of her Lightborn Squad. 

Tigreal had given him restricted access to the Imperial Sanctuary grounds at first, still unsure about the trustworthiness of their new addition. But even he confided in Silvanna that he had become confident in Granger’s ability and character. 

Granger had been sent out on small missions with Alucard and Fanny. Each time the group returned, they had nothing but praises for the marksman. 

“I’ve seen how that boy looks at you,” Tigreal mentioned once, his arms crossed, his voice slightly teasing and slightly disapproving at the same time. Silvanna pretends not to know what he’s talking about, but she can’t help a smile from gracing her lips. 

_He looks at me?_

Yes, she was constantly surrounded by people now. Since her royal birth, Silvanna was used to having people around. Privacy was something the royal family could never have, and that was something she was annoyed with sometimes. 

But now Silvanna had her Chevaliers.

Granger and Alucard, who insisted on staying at the Imperial Sanctuary than the Monastery of Light due to the kidnapping and Abyssal attack. Harith, the incredibly smart Leonin who had lost his grandfather and family to the Dark Forest. Tigreal and Fanny, the brother and sister duo who have given so much to the Empire. 

She had friends. 

***

“Mind if I join you?” 

Granger looks up from the book he was deciphering, music notes still in his brain till he realized he was being addressed by the Princess herself. 

“Sure.” he said, a little too late. The Princess had already settled herself down, not caring if she ended up with grass stains on her trousers. 

“Are you practising?”

“Sort of. It’s a new song for me.”

“Can I hear it?”

Granger didn’t hesitate. “Of course, Your Highness.”

Silvanna relaxed as she looked around, noticing Alucard’s curious staring from the other end of the courtyard. 

Granger put the violin under his chin, and began to play. Silvanna recognised the quick lighthearted melody. He played on, almost oblivious to the dreadful wrecked notes emitting from his violin breaking the silence. Silvanna could see the servants wincing as they looked over in their general direction. 

She tried hard not to smile, trying to maintain the calm regal air she usually portrayed. 

Granger played the final chords, then looked at her.

“Another one, Your Highness?”

Silvanna opened her mouth, but her answer was drowned out by four other voices overpowering her. 

“No, by the Lord of light’s grace, please no more!”

“How do I summon magic earmuffs?”

“If you play that violin again Granger, I will run my sword through you!” 

“I’d rather face a thousand demons than hear that again!”

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story has ended! Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it. I’ve planned out a whole series of the Adventures of the Lightborn Squad, so yes, there’s more!


End file.
